Finger jointing press unit



July 14, 1953 H. H. DEDO 7,645,257

FI GER JOINTING PRESS UNIT Filed June 12. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIVEIITOR )[om erEDedo ATTORNEYS Patented July 14, 1953 7 "[UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFlCE 'FINGERJOINTING PRESS UNIT Homer H. Dedo, Merced, Calif.

Application June 12, 1951, Serial'No. 231,239

In the method of producing lengths of lumber by fingerjointing, as shown and described in copending application, Serial No. 223 ,618, filed April 28, 1951, initially separate, relatively short lengths of clear lumber, of varying longitudinal dimensions, are connected together in end to end alinement by means of glued, multiple mortise and tenon joints.

The present invention provides, as a major object, a novel press unit for supporting and press engaging the initially separate, relatively short lengths of clear lumber whereby to close the glued, multiple mortise and tenon joints, and to thus produce a rigid, unitary, relatively long length of clear lumber for milling into moldings, door or window frame parts, or the like.

Another important object of the invention is to provide the press unit with a press table of novel construction and function; such table being arranged for ready and expeditious, manual assembly of the initially separate lengths of lumber in a row; forceful relative movement of said lengths to engage the joints; and manual discharge of the completed relatively long length of lumber onto a receiving chute.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a press unit, for the purpose described, which includes novel means for applying the glue to the multiple mortise and tenon-cut ends of the initially separate, relatively short lengths of lumber prior to press connection thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide the press unitwith a novel ram-head assembly operated by a double-acting, power cylinder;

It is also an object of the invention to provide a fingerjointing press unit which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture, installation, and operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a practical and reliable fingerjointing press unit, and one which will be exceedinglyeffective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear bya perusal of the following specification and claims.

In th drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the fingerjointing press unit foreshortened and showing a row of the initially separate, relatively short lengths of lumber as arranged on the press table, but before engagement of the joints. I

Fig. 2 is a similar view, but shows the row of lengths of lumber with the joints closed by ac- ..tuation of the ram-head assemb1y.

r 2 Claims. (Cl. 144-288) regulated, hydraulic conduit system which Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-'3 of Fig. 2. I I

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the completed. relatively long, multiple-section lengths of clear lumber.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of one or the completed multiple mortise and tenon joints.

Fig. 61s a transverse sectionof the press unit taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1."

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of one of the glue pans partially broken away to show the glue comb as in use. I

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of the valvecontrols the power cylinder. I

Referring now more particularly to the char? acters of reference on the drawings, the novel,

fingerjointing press unit comprises a horizontal,

elongated but relatively narrow press table I supported at convenient working height by a frame 2; there being a lumber receiving chute 3'which extends at a forward and downward incline to floor level from the rear edge of said presstable I.

At one end thereof the press table I is fitted with an end stop 4, while adjacent the other end the table supports a horizontally disposed, longitudinally slidable, generally H-shaped ram-head 5 held in working position on the press table by longitudinal hold-down and guide flanges 6.

At its outer end the ram-head 5 is pivotally connected to a cross head 'i on the projecting piston rod 8 of a double-acting hydraulic power cylinder 9; such cylinder being pivoted, at th end opposite the piston rod 8, as at I B, to'the press table.

Adjacent but slightly beyond its inner head the ram-head 5 carries a transverse pusher block II which bears centrally of its ends on a fulcrum I2 rigid with the ram-head 5 intermediate its sides. Adjacentthe ends thereof the pusher block II is fitted with guide rods I3 which extend in looseplay relation through the adjacent end of said pusher block II, being fitted-on the side opposite said pusher blockwith compression. springs I4 held in place by nuts I5.

The purpose of the transverse pusher block I I rockably mounted as described will hereinafter appear.

16, and at spaced points, in the lengththereof,

there are hold-down fiangesill which overhang the press table I toapproximatelyqthe center 3 thereof, and in predetermined spaced relation. Above but rearwardly of the press table I there is an elongated, horizontal shelf l8 mounted in connection with a supporting frame iii; the latter being designed so that it does not in any way obstruct the chute 3 above which'said shelf is disposed. A number of glue pans 23 are seated on the shelf l8, each pan having a quantity of liquid glue. 2! therein. Also, each pan is provided, in the bottom thereof, witha glue applying comb, indicated at 22; each comb including a horizontal base 23 and a multiplicity of parallel, relatively short upstanding vanes 24 which ex-' tend substantially from front to rear of the related pan. inafter appear.

The purpose of the above described press unit is to press-engage, in end to end glued finger- The combs 22 function as will here 7 4 trolled 'by the valve-regulated, hydraulic conduit system shown diagrammatically in'Fig. 8.

In this figure 28 indicates a hydraulic pump whose intake is connected to a supply conduit 29 leading from a fluid supply reservoir 30.

A feed conduit 3| extends from the delivery side of the pump 28 to a rotary two-way valve 32 normally in a neutral position, as shown, but adapted--upon swinging of the valve control lever 33 to the rightand against the tension-of a spring Sto then establish communication between the feed conduit 3'! and a conduit 35 leading to the outer end of the power cylinder 9.

jointed relation, a plurality of initially separate,

relatively short lengths 25 of clear lumber, but of varying longitudinal dimension, whereby to produce a relatively longer length 26 of fabricated lumber. The initially relatively short lengths 2-5 of lumber are pre-milled to form multiple mortise and tenon-cut ends thereon, as shown.

At the outset a plurality of the initially separate relatively short lengths 25 of lumber. are selected, and which in total length approximate the desired longitudinal dimension of the relatively longer length 26 of lumber to be fabricated.

An operator stands in front of the press table, and selected lengths 25 of lumber are arranged end to end in a row on the press table l between the end stop 4 and transversepusher block H; such lengths 25 resting against the longitudinal guide I6 and being retained beneath the holddown flanges l1.

Before the lengths .25 of lumber are brought to final assembly on the press table l, as above, at least one of each of the adjacent multiple mortise and tenon-cut ends of said lengths is dipped in a near one of the pans 23, in the manner shown particularly in Fig. '7. of lumber being so treated is manually held vertical and the end projected into the glue pan so that the vanes 24 of the comb 22 project upwardly into all of the mortise-cuts whereby to apply glue therein.

Thereafter, with the lengths 25 of lumber in position on the press table I, as hereinbefore described, the double-acting hydraulic power cylinder 9 is energized to cause advance of the piston rod 8 and the ram-head 5, including the transverse pusher block ll. This causes the lengths 25 of lumber to all shift toward the end stop 4 except the immediately adjacent length, with the result that the mortise and tenon-cut ends of said lengths are positively and forcefully matchingly engaged to produce completed, glued fingerjoints 21.

The transverse pusher block H is rockably mounted as described to assure that it makes flush or matching engagement with the adjacent end of the near length 25.

After the lengths 25 of lumber are engaged, as above, to produce a relatively longer fabricated length 26 on the press table I, the power cylinder 9 is reversed, retracting the ram-head 5, and thence such completed length 26 of lumber is manually pushed off the press table I onto the receiving chute 3, sliding down the latter and accumulating at the lower end of said chute for subsequent handling.

The double-acting hydraulic cylinderg is con- The length 25 Simultaneously, the conduit 35 which leads to the inner end of said power cylinder is connected in communication with a return conduit 36 extending to the reservoir 33; such return conduit 36 having a cooler 3! and a filter 38 therein.

With the parts in this position, the power cylinder 9 'is operated to advance the piston rod 8 and the ram-head 5, for the purpose of powerengaging the lengths 25 of lumber resting in a row on the press table I, as aforesaid.

After each power stroke the operator manually releases the lever 33, and said lever. then swings through neutral to a left-hand position under the action of spring S, and when this is done the rotary two-way valve 33 connects feed conduit 3| and power cylinder conduit 35, and connects power cylinder conduit 35 with the return conduit 36; the effect being to reverse the power cylinder 9, causing retraction of the piston rod 8.

Upon retraction of the piston rod 8 and ramhead 5, a trigger 33 on the latter engages the lever 33, swinging it back to central or neutral position at substantially the moment that .said

piston rod 8 and ram-head 5 reach full retraction.

When the trigger 39 so swings the lever 33, the

rotary two-way valve is moved to a neutral nonworking position, but a link 43 connected to said lever 33 then works the lever 5i of a rotary bypass valve 42 to open the latter. Such bypass valve 42 is interposed in a bypass conduit 42a connected between the feed conduit 3| and the return conduit 35, being closed when the .valve 32 is in a working position, and vice versa. Thus, the fiuid pressure from the pump 28v bypasses to the return conduit 36 when the valve 32 is closed and the power cylinder 9 not in operation. f

As a safety feature, a relief conduit 43 connects between the feed conduit 3| and the return conduit 36, and a pressure relief valve 44 is interposed in said conduit 43, as shown, being set to open only under emergency conditions.

A pressure gauge 45 is connected to the feed From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a fingerjointing press unit as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth-in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. 7

Having thus described the invention the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A fingerjointing press'unit comprising an elongated table, a ram-head slidably mounted in connection with one end portion of the table,

power means operative to reciprocate said ramhead, and a stop secured to the other end portion of the table in opposition to the ram-head; said ram-head including a transverse pusher block at its outer end, and means mounting the pusher block for rocking, intermediate its ends, about an upstanding axis; said mounting means including a fulcrum element on the ram-head on which the pusher block rocks, and spring-urged guide rods projecting from end portions of the pusher block through the adjacent portion of the ram-head.

2. A fingerjointing press unit comprising a narrow elongated table to receive initially separate work-pieces to be joined in single-file end to end alinement, means to press said pieces together to form a single continuous length, an upstanding guide flange for the pieces extending along the front edge of the table, the back edge of the table being unobstructed, and a downwardly and outwardly sloping chute attached to said back edge and alined flush therewith at its upper end to receive the completed work length upon lateral movement of the latter away from the guide flange.

1 V HOMER H. DEDO.

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